34 THE BOND W E sat in a sort of combined café and garden. It was sum- mer, when twilight in War- saw lasts for a long time. The sun sets, but the sky remains light, retaining an early-evening glow. Birds still chirped in the branches of the trees. White- winged insects madly circled the globes of the lamps. The sweet smell of flowers blended with the aromas of coffee, cocoa, and freshly baked past- ries. An August moon loomed in the sky, and near it a bright star. We sat in a small group-several writers, a painter, and a sculptor. Soon all left except for one Yiddish writer, Reuven Berger, and me. Reuven had early become known as a great talent but then stopped writing altogether. We drank coffee, ate buns with jam, and discussed women. Reuven told anecdotes and smoked one cigarette after another. In a remote corner of the café someone tinkled the keys of a piano. From the fields and orchards on the other side of the Vistula scents of late summer wafted in. Reuven Berger flicked the ashes from his cigarette into an ashtray and said, "There are cases when a man is forced to slap a woman. No matter how considerate he may be by nature, he has no alternative. You know that I have a reputation for being overly gentle to the fair sex, but the story I have in mind is so crazy and unlike me that each time I recall it I must laugh. Such a thing is only possible in life, not fiction. It is just too ridiculous to be believed." "Enough suspense. Let me hear it," I said. "All right. You know that from the age of fourteen I was involved with women. I loved them and they loved me. This event took place about eight years ago, perhaps ten. I lived with a woman who was terribly in love with me. With her kind, love becomes a total obsession Her insane jealousy made a hell out of my life. Thousands of times I broke up with her and each time she came back. Her father was a pious Jew, an owner of a house. Her name was Bella. She used to move in our literary circles long before you began to come to the Writers' Club. She had studied in an exclusive GY7n- nasium for girls and had the manners of a well-bred lady. She was beautiful, too. But she began to drink on account of me At that time I was still married. Bella would sit in her room alone, drink vodka from the bottle, smoke, and quarrel with me on the telephone if she could find me. I had to run from her. She grew worse from day to day. She tried suicide on several occasions. "When she was in the midst of these fits, there were wild scenes. One thing alone could stop her delirious outbursts-slaps. I was forced to slap her repeatedly, and this immediately brought her to her senses. She would regain her composure, become logical and calm. I often drew an analogy to war. When a nation becomes destruc- tively belligerent, there is only one way to bring it to its senses-defeat. If a pacifist heard this he would tear me to pieces, but it's true. "Get rid of her? I did not want to leave her altogether. In my fashion I loved her. If not for these mad scenes, I could have been quite happy with her. But she was capable of tearing the dress from her body in the middle of the street or of trying to throw herself under the wheels of a streetcar. She would attack an innocent woman with whom I exchanged a word or two. On one occasion she was arrested for dis- turbing the peace. Her mother came to me to ask me to break up with Bella. But how does one end an affair with this type of woman? I would have had to run away to America or commit suicide myself. "Now, I guess you know that for years I made a living from lecturing. But it had come to such a pass that I could not go anywhere without her appearing out of nowhere and rushing to see what I was up to. If I had to go to a lecture, she would follow me. I learned every trick in the art of con- spiracy. I had a secret address, an un- listed phone number. Once I discov- ered a private detective lurking at m} gate. Her father was quite rich." R rUVEN paused and tried to balance a little spoon on the edge of a glass. He continued, ((At this particu- -, =-= --=- î S - j \ \ I- ;;;; !I '- = 1 uj Lï \::=0 == 51' == -, = ( . I III' J D "\íll [ l -I! æ II-; f . I ':.I u \ l J '.....-.!I := ;..A....I=-- I, 1 I I \ \ III r-- 1 1 :--:-J :11_ =&w;'.lr= 1IU E: " II ht , l WI ,"lf , ; r I r \l'i ?1 !&: Il fïf f l ,,: '\ ' i"I \ \ 'i' J I I , ',I I p t I r l I I " . I 'j . I I \ f , \ ,\ J I JUNE 28, 1982 lar time, I was scheduled to lecture in Jedrzejow. It was a cold, rainy day. J was certain Bel1a knew nothing of my plans, but the moment I entered the train she was there. I will never know how she discovered I was taking thIs trip. The car was empty. I was too enraged even to scold her . We sat down in complete silence. ...-'\fter a while, she started, as I knew she would, with bitter reproaches and warned me not to attempt to put her out of my life. She was ranting and raving, as always. She became louder and more offensive from minute to minute and resorted to every type of threat and insult. I knew I had to slap her or there would be no lecture I was so wrought up I didn't notice that at a stop other passengers had entered the car. She was, in fact, begging to be slapped. I gave her a smack across the face-one, two, three. It had the mi- raculous effect One minute she was mad. The next minute the hysteria was gone. She smiled, became loving, coherent. Those who have never wit- nessed a sudden change like this could never imagine how complete it was. Bella leaned against the train window, still weeping a little and pressing my hand to her lap. I was so confused that I didn't notice that directly across from me sat a woman looking furious, ready to swallow me alive. She seemed a small-town woman-not young, not old. Perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties. I still remember that she wore a hat which resembled an in- verted pot. She reminded me of the suffragettes one saw photographs of in illustrated magazines, or possibly of the sort of female who would help manufacture bombs to be thrown at the Czar. She carried a library book, the Jacket carefully protected by a pa- per cover. Once or twice she opened her mouth as if about to blast me, but she seemed to control herself. More people entered the car and momen- tarily I lost sight of my angry co- passenger. Bella by now was absolutely normal, again and again apologizing, kissing me and promising to behave forever and after " 'Why did you follow me?' I asked her. 'This is a business trip, not a vacation' She said meekly, 'Since I'm already here, allow me to stay with you the rest of the way. I'm dying to hear your lecture! Y ou need not intro- duce me to anyone. I will stay awa} from you when we get off, and in the evening I will just come to hear your speech. I will find out when you are leaving and arrange to go back with